NYXFILM
VEMPO
Based on the true story of Eleni Valiatzas, a triple agent during WWII in occupied Greece. Her service as an SOE agent, OSS operative and member of the Greek resistance as a US Citizen behind enemy lines in Nazi Occupied Greece is an untold story of courage and resilliance
“Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.”
Winston Churchill
VEMPO
The true story of Helen "Eleni" Valiatzas (The author's mother).
In Nazi-occupied Greece, teenage American-born Eleni Valiatzas becomes a triple agent, navigating a treacherous world of deception as she secretly works for the OSS, British intelligence, and the Greek resistance. Learning Greek by listening to the songs of patriotic singer Sophia Vempo and learning German just before the war, she is forced to serve as a translator for the Nazis by the SS officer living in her home in order to protect her family. With music as her guide, language as her weapon, and courage as her only armor, she gathers intelligence to aid elite Greek American troops dropped behind enemy lines while outmaneuvering the enemy before her cover is blown in this untold true story of sacrifice, survival, and defiance.
A fresh perspective on WWII, Vempo brings to life the unsung heroism of Greek American operatives and the fearless women who fought in the shadows. With the tension of Inglourious Basterds, the heart of Atonement, and the real-life espionage stakes of The Imitation Game, this is a history yet to be told—a gripping war thriller anchored by one extraordinary young woman’s bravery.
Sizzle Reel Short Film: Explaining the occupation.
The Wartime Scrapbook
Eleni Valiatzas
The Family
The Valiatzas family had emigrated back to Greece from the US and in 1939 when the Nazis occupied the city of Volos, they were forced as US citizens to hide in plain site. The three oldest sisters, Vasiliki, Chrisoula and Eleni, as well as their father all joined the resistance, unbeknownst to each other. Eleni was conscripted to work as a translator for the Nazis and was exposed to valuable information and assets. During that time she was recruited and worked for the British SOE and the American OSS, a secret that only came to light after her death.
Volos
The beautiful and picturesque sea side port of Volos was a hub of military activity and an important location during the war. When the British pulled out they left behind a web of civilian intelligence volunteers who would be influential in working against the Nazi regime and turning the tide of the war. The resistance filled the gap and two important groups, the leftists and the monarchists, filled the gap and lead the effort to free Greece.
Sophia Vempo
Having grown up in Volos, Sophia Vempo was Greece's National Voice of Freedom and virtually the soundtrack of the war. A beloved torch singer, her patriotic songs fired the hearts of Greeks throughout the war. Her voice could be heard on pirate radio broadcasts and was a comfort to the populace and inspiration to the Greek Resistance fighters throughout the country. Eleni Valiatzas learned all of Vempo's songs by heart, translating them back and forth from Greek to English so that she could become fluent in Greek. She always gave Vempo credit for teaching her the very skills in language that kept her alive and her family safe.
Paidia tis Ellados Paidia
Your Children, Children of Greece
(Patriotic song of Greece)
In the streets are wandering
The mothers and are searching
To see their children who promised
At the station, when leaving
To win
But for those who are gone
And are wrapped in glory
We should be happy
None of us should ever cry
She should burn her sorrow
And we should all wish:
Children, children of Greece
Who are fighting a tough fight
on the mountains
Children, to the sweet Virgin Mary
We all pray that you come back again
I am telling to those who love
And stay awake for someone
That bitterness and shaking
Are not proper
For a fair Greek woman
Greek Women of Zaloggo
From the cities and rural areas
Women from Plaka
However bitter is our pain,
we proudly stand
like womem of Souli
Children, children of Greece
Who are fighting a tough fight
on the mountains
Children, to the sweet Virgin Mary
We all pray that you come back again
With the branches of victory
We are expecting you children
Ludwig Sonntag
The well to do Valiatzas family lived in a lovely home close to the sea in a quaint part of the city. Upon the occupation of the city, officers were quartered with families to discourage the allied forces from bombing military targets in the city.
The family was forced to share their home with several Nazi SS officers, all the while conducting their own resistance activities.
Sonntag, the SS officer that lived with the family would tap Eleni to be a translator at high command, and her family would remain safe only as long as she stayed in Sonntag's favor.
The two oldest sisters became fast friends with the well known Coutsicos distillery family of 6 sons, who were mainstays in the local Resistance. The oldest sister Vasiliki would fall in love with Alexi, one of the brothers, and marry at the war's end.
The Resistance
In the mountains, the Greeks revived the Andartis, partisans who never lost their pension for guerilla warfare they developed during the Ottoman Occupation 100 years earlier. Two main resistance groups organized guerilla activities, the exiled monarchists and the communist party (which claimed to be the keepers of the true democratic spirit intended by the ancient Greeks). Forced to cooperate with one another for the sake of national freedom, the Greek resistance was the longest lasting movement (3X longer) among all European countries.
The American OSS
& The British SOE
The OSS would form the 112 Infantry Battalion, made up of all Greek Americans, to parachute behind Greek lines and join the fight and to target important military sites and deliver support to the Greek resistance. This elite military group was instrumental in collaborating with the Resistance to destroy and cripple important military targets throughout the occupation.
The British SOE would drop in intelligence operative after the British officially exited Greece when the occupation began.
Together the allied would work with both Greek resistance groups to support the effort to free Greece and run other support and strategic missions to undermine Germany's efforts in the region.
